The super sport Mercedes Benz SLS was developed by Mercedes-AMG GmbH (AMG), a subsidiary of parent company, Daimler AG (Daimler). AMG was founded in 1967 and started out as a motorsports tuning company.
In 2005, AMG formulated a strategy to build a complete new car drawing strength from its own development expertise and motorsports history. The company wanted a legend of its own making and for the first time in the company’s 40 years history, the new Mercedes-Benz SLS was conceived in 2006. It was not until 2008 that testing on the prototype worldwide started.
The Mercedes SLS design was headed by Mr. Gorden Wagener, taking cue from the original Mercedes Benz 300 SL Gullwing that first went into commercial production in 1954. The most striking resemblance to the original 300 SL is the Gullwing doors, Mercedes logo located on the front grille, the location of the side grille, the long bonnet that house the engine located on the front mid-section. The overall shape of the SLS AMG is similar to the 300 SL but with greater windscreen curvature and emphasis on aerodynamics. Incidentally, the hand-built Mercedes SLS was developed in Sindelfingen, Germany where the very first 300 SL Gullwing were produced.
The SLS AMG was officially unveiled at the 2009 International Motor Show in Frankfurt on September 15, 2009. The Mercedes Benz SLS coupe is now available in Germany for €177,310.00 including 19% VAT. In North America, the SLS price was announced as early as April 2010 at New York International Auto Show and is priced around $183,000.00. However, the official launch date for the Mercedes SLS is in May 2010. Judging by the many optional items, the SLS price is going to exceed $200,000.00 a piece.
Super powerful 2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Gullwing
This is followed by a roadster version in 2011 as well as the Mercedes Benz SLS GT3. The body shell structure such as the roof, Gullwing doors, bonnet and side walls, the space frame and chassis are all made of aluminum, give rise to overall weight savings as well as a major contributing factor towards enhancing the SLS AMG 0 to 60 mph achieved in 3.7 seconds. Although the speedometer has a maximum speed indicator of 360 km/h (224 mph) the SLS is electronically limited to reach a top speed of 317 km/h (197 mph)
The 6.3 liters V-8 can achieve a respectable 13.2 liters/100 km or about 17.75 miles per gallon and has a low drag coefficient of just 0.36 (Cd) that further enhances fuel efficiency.
For AMG, the North American market is the largest and the most important export market. This is followed by Germany, Japan and the Middle-East. In the Middle-East, the Dubai International Motor Show is the leading motor show for AMG in that region. The SLS AMG was introduced at the show on December 16 - 20, 2009.
The SLS AMG received a great number of awards recently. Such awards include the following:
• International Engine of the Year Awards 2009 for “Best
Performance Engine” & “Above 4 liters.”
• Golden Steering Wheel 2009
• Highest online votes for “Most Popular New Product” at
Frankfurt Motor Show
• Auto Trophy 2009
• ToPauto 2010
• AutoScout24’s Best New IAA Product
• UK’s Top Gear’s GT Car of the Year Award
• 2010 iF Product Design Award in the “Transportation Design”
Category.
• US MotorWeek TV’s Driver’s “Best Dream Machine
• Red Dot Design Award
The Mercedes Benz SLS is equipped with the latest innovative designs and components;
One good example is that once the car exceeds 74 mph, the rear boot lid fully extended automatically creating downforce at the rear axle thus giving greater stability to the super powerful car. The boot lid will automatically retract should the car slows down below 50 mph.
At lower speed, the retractable lid can be lifted manually by a push of a button for a sportier look. Incidentally, the boot lid also houses the aerial system for in-dash GPS navigation, radio and telecommunication functions, all accessible through the multi-functional button on the steering wheel. The front spoilers fronting both wheels also have the function of reducing air lift surrounding front tires.
Boot lid of the SLS 6.3L can be extended manually by a push of a button
Safety standard and comfort rank high on AMG priority list as a pioneer in designing luxury sports car. Safety features within the interior of the SLS include the standard 3-point seat belts, eight airbags that also include a kneebag each for both the driver and the passenger side.
For the safety of the driver, the SLS incorporate a Hill Holder function. Imagine the car is in upward slope position and the brake pedal depressed until the car is in stationary position. The hill holder function apply constant brake pressure for a short period of time between the time the driver release the brake pedal and hitting the accelerator pedal, preventing the car from moving backwards.
For the comfort of the driver and passenger, AMG designer focus a lot of attention on the ease of entering and exiting the seats through the Gullwing doors. Important factors that were taken into consideration include entry height, ground surface to door sill height, minimal external space required for opening the Gullwing and the Gullwing door opening height that can cater for standard garage height. The interior of the Gullwing doors also housed the central locking system, power window and side mirror adjustment.
Opening the Gullwing reveals a futuristic interior resemble that of a jet aircraft cabin. The world of aviation was the inspiration for the interior of the Mercedes SLS. Starting from the wing-shape dashboard to the center console one can find an array of buttons, rotary units and memory functions giving the impression of an aircraft cockpit while the silver air-vents resembles the look of a jet engine.
Striking interior and instrumentation of the Mercedes-SLS resembling a modern aviation cockpit
The E-Select shift lever controls the AMG Speedshift 7-speed transmission while allowing the driver to easily choose from among 4 driving modes via a rotary control unit. In “C” or comfort oriented mode, “S” as in Sport mode allowing more responsive and immediate gear changes while the “S+” mode allow an additional 20% higher gear change responsiveness & finally the “M” for the Manual mode.
Elongated center console of the SLS with the integrated AMG Drive unit
The Mercedes SLS comes with the standard AMG 7-spoke light alloy wheels measuring 9.5" x 19" for the front and 11" x 20" for the rear. The standard tire size are 265 x 35 x R19 for the front and 295 x 30 x R20 for the rear. All four wheels are equipped with radio signal tire pressure monitor system that individually monitors each tire. Warning lamp will display in case of air pressure variation and any unusual temperature deviation.
Front 10-spoke forged wheel comes as optional item with 265 x 35 x R19 Continental Tire
The front and rear braking system utilize composite technology that can bring the car from 250 km/h to a standstill position with a braking output of 816 kW/1109 hp. The front braking system is equipped with grey cast iron 390mm x 36mm disc brakes while the rear with 360mm x 26mm disc brakes.
All Mercedes SLS AMG are equipped with anti-lock braking system and 3 different settings for Electronic Stability System (ESP). The ESP can be driven in “ESP ON", “SPORT" or “OFF" mode by a press of a button and properly displayed on the instrument cluster. Depending on the driving condition and mode, the system helps identify and stabilize the car in various driving conditions.
